Adaptive Multi-Robot Exploration for Unknown Environments Using Edge-Weighted Path Planning

Abstract

Efficient multi-robot exploration of unknown environments is critical for numerous applications such as search and rescue, planetary exploration, and environmental monitoring. Existing centralized approaches struggle with scalability, while decentralized methods often incur high computational costs and inefficient task coordination. This study presents a scalable and adaptive multi-robot exploration algorithm that adaptively updates edge weights based on visit counts, reservations, and obstacles to optimize path allocation and minimize redundant scanning. The proposed algorithm ensures 100% area coverage and real-time adaptability, making it robust for exploration in many different unknown environments. The algorithm was validated in both a 2D grid-based simulation and a high-fidelity 3D environment using Isaac Sim with ROS integration. Experimental results demonstrate that the algorithm achieves improved exploration efficiency and adaptability compared to a real-time scheduling method while maintaining computational feasibility. The findings highlight the effectiveness of edge-weighting and reservation-based task allocation strategies for autonomous multi-robot systems in practical exploration scenarios.